Hi all,

I have been offered a 4.6 Mustang motor for my Effie complete with manual gearbox. I was just wondering if anyone else out there is running a manual box?

I have to admit that never really considered a Manual, it just seems to me that an auto would be more suited, but I am open to ideas/thoughts otherwise.

Thanks
Lee

 

I have a T56 6 speed manual in my truck. Both our daily drivers are manuals. I prefer manual transmissions, I've only owned 3 automatic tranny vehicles in 42 years of driving, I found them boring to drive.

 

I've got a 3 on the tree and I love it. Less to go wrong than an automatic, and here at college there's only a handful of people that know what it is, much less how to drive it. Freaks some people out the first time. I like stick shifts because there's less to go wrong, and you have more control over the vehicle in general.

 

Thanks AX,

How is the positioning of the gearstick in relation to the seat? I havent managed to measure it, but it looks to me like it will be far back ( maybe underneath the seat).

Whohoo, just realised this is my 100th Post!

Lee

 

The only advantage I found with an automatic dissapeared with the popularity of bucket seats and consoles. You can't have a sweet thang sitting close anymore so you no longer have a need to keep the shifting arm free for other uses!

 

Shifter position is an issue with any of the rail shift trannys (T5 T56 etc) and a bench seat. My shifter is alongside the bucket seat. I guess you could design and build a strongly offset shifter to bring it out from under the seat if you have enough clearance under the seat, kinda the reverse of the out of the dash shifters in some newer Hondas.

 

I'm running an S-10 5 speed behind my Flathead 226 in my 51F1 and I'm real happy with it.

 

i have a 1957 ranchero, i guess you could call it a truck, i had a 3 speed w\ od hearst shifter, had a bench seat so it was in front of it, first left the shifter **** in the middle of the seat. but otherwise, it was great, blew it out tho. oh and also manuel tranmissions get better gas mileage, and are just more fun. i had a t-89, but the first gear is gone in it now, so im looking for a t-98 or t-10. are you getting the mustang engine and trans for free? howd you manage that?

 

I wish... No it is for sale but I have been given first refusal. I like the sound of a Mustang 4.6 under the hood. I think I have seen one other truck with this install and AOD it looked sweet and it gives good bhp.

Plus it keeps it all Ford.

Lee

 

"Sports Truck" or other wise known as a "Ute".

 

The T5 used by Ford out of the mustang sits back to far to use with the bench seat. The shifter would come up under the seat. The T5 used by GM in vehicles such as the S10 is the one to use for length concerns.

 

'Till you've to Stop for a Stop Sign or Stop Light on an Incline greater than 15%, the other Motorists behind you have a Tendancy to Freak when a 1/2 Ton or greater Truck has a Clutch to engage under these conditions.
You drive a lot in Hilly or Mountanious Terrain & need to shift a whole gob during ones travells.
The "Coolness" factor of a Manual Trans dims a tick after that, especially when 1st gear isn't Syncromesh, Break the Clutch Plate Springs when attempting to Merg w/ Hwy/Fwy traffic more than Once, the brand new Hydro Clutch M/C takes a dump on a Hill @ a Stop Sign, Throw-out Bearing & Fork takes a dump both @ the same time during a Call Out, or the Shift Fork/s Snap Off @ the worst possible time, all this on a Well Maintained Truck.
I've yet to have the amount of problems w/ an Auto Trans as I've w/ a Manual Trans.

 

Hi Lee...my 51 runs the flathead V-8 and originally ran the 3 on the tree. I liked it a lot (my other car is a 5 speed) but have gotten a T-5 out of an s-10 so that I can enjoy the benefits of overdrive. It's not running yet but everyone I've talked with says its a great option if you want 3 pedals. The s-10 variant of the T-5 employs a shifter that is positioned about the middle of the gearbox and I'm hopeful that this will not put it too far back into the bench seat (sweet-thang seat...thanks AX!). The T-5s out of the sporty cars (Ford and otherwise) employ a shifter position that is near the end of the tail shaft and this can cause a problem - if you run a new Tremec 5 or 6 speed I understand that the position of the shifter (it's a rail system on all these T-type boxes) is adjustable over 3 or 4 positions but on the other older style boxes you have to change the tail shaft to change the shifter position. There was also a T-5 used on the Astro mini vans that had a shifter that was even further forward but I understand that the shifting could be a little bit vague.

Bottom line if the offer of the 4.6 is priced right (especially if it's free) I'd grab it - it's a great motor and you can adapt an automatic easily enough if you decide to go that route. You'll probably have to run bucket seats (no sweet-thang seating for you!) as the Mustang gearbox uses the tailshaft shifter location and it would probaby prohibit using a bench seat.

Opinions are like noses - everybodys got one and they can all smell but my $0.02 is that Buckets are more comfortable but the bench is real practical for a truck. Either one will make for a nice driver...grab the motor!!!

OilLeaks

 

My Beretta has a 5 speed (love dropping from 5th to 3rd and passing everyone). The 53 F-800 has a Spicer main 5 with a Brown-Lipe 4spd aux. behind the CAT V-8.

 

I had a three on the floor, it was ok, but then I put the three on the tree back in and love it!!!!

Kyle